Ikot Ekpene—A lecturer at Akwa Ibom State Polytechnic, Abel Udo Jacob, and his accomplice, Innocent Nicholas Ntokon, have been sentenced to a combined 11 years in prison by the Akwa Ibom State High Court for their roles in a N50 million extortion scheme.
Justice Augustine Odokwo handed down the judgment on Wednesday, ruling that the duo subjected businessman Edikan Jacob Jackson to years of intimidation, threats, and financial exploitation, causing him losses exceeding N50 million.
Evidence presented in court revealed that between 2016 and 2020, Ntokon, reportedly a leader of the Klans Confraternity, coordinated a campaign of terror against the victim.
Armed men were allegedly sent to Jackson’s shops, and threats were made against his family to enforce monthly payments.
Jacob, the polytechnic lecturer, was found to have aided the criminal operation by acting as the syndicate’s “financial clearinghouse,” allowing the extorted funds to pass through his bank account.
The court dismissed his claim that he believed the money came from “NDDC roofing contracts,” calling the defence implausible and inconsistent with the evidence.
In a stern two-hour judgment, Justice Odokwo described Ntokon as “a predator who used the guise of a trader to conceal the heart of a ruthless cultist and extortionist.”
Ntokon was sentenced to eight years in prison for offences including demanding with menace, stealing, terrorism, and cultism, while Jacob received three years for demanding with menace, stealing, and terrorism. The sentences will run concurrently, totaling 11 years behind bars.
The court further ordered the convicts to pay N25 million jointly and severally to the victim as restitution, reinforcing that criminal acts must not go unpunished.
Additionally, a Toyota Avensis and a Mercedes-Benz, identified as proceeds of the crime, were forfeited to the state and slated for auction, with the sale proceeds to partially compensate the victim.